Lynbrook Native Takes the Stage in ‘The Sing-Off’

Getting up on stage in front of millions of viewers is many singers’ dream come true — for one Lynbrook resident, that dream will be televised Monday night.

Andrea O’Neill and her collegiate a capella group, the University of Delaware Deltones, will make their debut on NBC’s hit show “The Sing-Off” tonight in the second half of the season three premier.

“The Sing-Off,” hosted by Nick Lachey, showcases talented singing groups from throughout the country in a fierce competition judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and Sara Bareilles, according to the show’s website. The 16 chosen groups are split into brackets of eight, as they compete to win the grand prize of a Sony recording contract and $200,000.

O’Neill, a senior finance and marketing major, said that she knew she wanted to be in an a cappella group when she first started at the University of Delaware. She auditioned for the Deltones, which is co-ed, the first week of school and is now the president of the group.

She said that one of the Deltones' alumni made an audition tape and submitted it to the show's producers. They got the exciting call early this summer that they were picked.

The group performing on the show encompasses a mix of current students and alumni representing the University of Delaware.

“People had told us before to audition for ‘The Sing-Off’,” O’Neill said. “After seeing the past few seasons and all of the talent on the show, I was pretty shocked that we were picked. I don’t think it was something that a lot of us expected to happen.”

A 2008 graduate of Lynbrook High School, O’Neill took part in concert choir and jazz chorus, under the direction of Sue Sussman, while a student.

“I grew up singing and I think that singing in school furthered my interest in continuing it during my college years,” she said.

The singer’s friends, in Lynbrook and Delaware alike, are thrilled to watch their friend perform on network television. She said that everyone has been “nothing but supportive” and that her friends are even holding viewing parties.

“Everyone in Lynbrook is really excited – it has been really fun,” she said.

Not all is glamorous, though, as the show required the singers to be dedicated and put in an extensive amount of hard work. O’Neill explained that the most difficult part of being on “The Sing-Off” was the time constraint.

“We were used to learning several songs over an entire semester,” she added. “On the show you had basically a week to learn the song and choreography, which we had never done before. Everything was kind of new for us, so it was difficult.”

Regardless of the difficulties, the most rewarding part of doing the show, O’Neill said, was getting to see the other a cappella groups because everyone participating was “so different.”

“Experiencing all of the talented musicians in one spot was really awesome,” she said.

O’Neill explained that she has no idea if music will be part of her career in the future, but, she said, “Music is definitely going to stay part of my life.”